The joys of the tropics - flies and mosquitos

[MMDown Under]

The Gold Coast is currently inundated with flies and mosquitos, after all the rain and local flooding.

 

Mosquitos - This morning, I had to put Bushman repellent on in my own house.  

Flies - Flies keep committing suicide in my fresh orange juice. I must remember to cover my juice!

Fruit Flies - Attracted by fresh tropical fruit.  Eat before fruit gets too ripe or put in refrigerator. 

Midges - I keep away from gardening at dusk to avoid being eaten by midges.

 

Does anyone remember those glass "things", where the flies can get in, but not get out?.  I thought they were revolting, sitting on the kitchen table, but I'd love one now.  Also those "sticky tape things" which hung from the ceiling?.  Also those fly spray "things"?  Anything to let flies know they are not welcome here.  I live in an house like a tent.  Heaven forbid, I fall asleep with my mouth open to discover a dead fly in my mouth (as happened sleeping outside on a verandah on a Queenslander in the bush.)

 

Be prepared visitors to the Gold Coast.

. 

[MMDown Under]

33 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

The Gold Coast is currently inundated with flies and mosquitos, after all the rain and local flooding.

 

Mosquitos - This morning, I had to put Bushman repellent on in my own house.  

Flies - Flies keep committing suicide in my fresh orange juice. I must remember to cover my juice!

Fruit Flies - Attracted by fresh tropical fruit.  Eat before fruit gets too ripe or put in refrigerator. 

Midges - I keep away from gardening at dusk to avoid being eaten by midges.

 

Does anyone remember those glass "things", where the flies can get in, but not get out?.  I thought they were revolting, sitting on the kitchen table, but I'd love one now.  Also those "sticky tape things" which hung from the ceiling?.  Also those fly spray "things"?  Anything to let flies know they are not welcome here.  I live in an house like a tent.  Heaven forbid, I fall asleep with my mouth open to discover a dead fly in my mouth (as happened sleeping outside on a verandah on a Queenslander in the bush.)

 

Be prepared visitors to the Gold Coast.

. 

Just watched a fly crawl down a glass to check out his dead friends, then crawl out and fly away.  Admired his skill.  Just killed fruit flies by covering my prize apricots with water, which are an expensive luxury in Queensland. Safe now in fridge

[MMDown Under]

29 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

Just watched a fly crawl down a glass to check out his dead friends, then crawl out and fly away.  Admired his skill.  Just killed fruit flies by covering my prize apricots with water, which are an expensive luxury in Queensland. Safe now in fridge

Sob - Fly has committed suicide in my fresh cup of tea.  I'll have to find those little crocheted things with beads to put on my cups as well as glasses.  

[MicCanberra]

No flies on us, must be all up in qld.

[Aus Traveller]

I'm in Brisbane. We don't have any flies, but there are a few mosquitos in the bush. We live in acreage so have quite a bit of bush where I am trying to eliminate the weeds that have sprung up after the rain. My particular enemy is called 'Mothers of Millions'. That gives an idea how easily they spread.

[buchhalm]

Don't go to Finland then. 🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰........

[ceeceeDee]

3 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

No flies on us, must be all up in qld.

Everyone is relocating to Queensland!!🤣

[MicCanberra]

9 minutes ago, ceeceeDee said:

Everyone is relocating to Queensland!!🤣

Your welcome 

[ceeceeDee]

4 hours ago, MMDown Under said:

The Gold Coast is currently inundated with flies and mosquitos, after all the rain and local flooding.

 

Mosquitos - This morning, I had to put Bushman repellent on in my own house.  

Flies - Flies keep committing suicide in my fresh orange juice. I must remember to cover my juice!

Fruit Flies - Attracted by fresh tropical fruit.  Eat before fruit gets too ripe or put in refrigerator. 

Midges - I keep away from gardening at dusk to avoid being eaten by midges.

 

Does anyone remember those glass "things", where the flies can get in, but not get out?.  I thought they were revolting, sitting on the kitchen table, but I'd love one now.  Also those "sticky tape things" which hung from the ceiling?.  Also those fly spray "things"?  Anything to let flies know they are not welcome here.  I live in an house like a tent.  Heaven forbid, I fall asleep with my mouth open to discover a dead fly in my mouth (as happened sleeping outside on a verandah on a Queenslander in the bush.)

 

Be prepared visitors to the Gold Coast.

. 

I'm hearing you, Marion.🙄 Not too much of a problem indoors, house is fully screened but be prepared to repel boarders when you open the ranch slider to access the backyard! Usually a few flies will take advantage to enter the house. Has got to the point where I spray the inside of the screen door before opening it in the hope that the flies will give it a wide berth whilst I exit. If not, it's 'take that young Harry' with the fly spray when I come back inside. Also liberal sprays of bug repellent before taking the dog down the park for a walk.

And yes, I remember those flypapers hanging from the ceiling. When I was a kid my friend's mum had one over the dining room table which generally had a heap of flies stuck to it. Put me off eating there.

[MicCanberra]

We are very modern in in the ACT, we have things called flyscreens, they fit in front of / over doors and windows and keep out the flies, mossies, beetles and a multitude of other bugs.

[MicCanberra]

For outside, we have aeroguard and or bushman's, anyhow have a good weekend.

[joejoe 59]

Must be a Gold Coast thing. We are at a Tin Can Bay, had lots of storms & rain but hasn't increased the flys only the humidity... hate it.

[mr walker]

2 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

We are very modern in in the ACT, we have things called flyscreens, they fit in front of / over doors and windows and keep out the flies, mossies, beetles and a multitude of other bugs.

Must be similar there to here in Sydney, with flyscreens for doors & windows 🙂 The only time we really have trouble with flies & mozzies etc is when we are outside in their territory or when some person was "born is a tent" 🙂 

[buchhalm]

I stay close to my wife.

Anything that stings or bites will get her, and won't touch me.

It's a well-known fact that girls smell better/more.

[MicCanberra]

16 minutes ago, buchhalm said:

I stay close to my wife.

Anything that stings or bites will get her, and won't touch me.

It's a well-known fact that girls smell better/more.

They are more likely to go for girls as they are made from sugar and spice whereas boys are made of slugs and snails .

[Mareblu]

Actually, latest research reveals the dominant attraction factor is blood type.

[buchhalm]

3 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

They are more likely to go for girls as they are made from sugar and spice whereas boys are made of slugs and snails .

Lisa reckons Mic is right

[MMDown Under]

Maybe I forgot to mention that I live in a fisherman's fibre shack, one of the few left in Anglers Paradise.  But a few are still there, treasured by their owners. The positive is like living in a tent with a cool sea breeze, but the negatives are the mossies, flies, sand flies. My soil is sand.  Usually after a period of torrential rain and local flooding, the Council sprays.  At present the Council has bigger issues like people still without power and water (Mt Tamborine).  Our local library and tavern lost power, so my next problem is how to return a pile of library books and a glass I "borrowed" from the tavern.  I have been assured my latest library request will remain on shelf awaiting collection until I return to my local library. Trees are still down everywhere, but in neater cut up piles.  Workmen are working on the traffic lights all around us.  My neighbour's fence is looking like falling down in the next storm. (He built up his land, under Council regulations, to build a house without steps.  It now shows on flood maps as flood free.)  My lasting memory of the Christmas storm is a heavy tree branch which went through the top of my tall paling fence, delicately splitting the palings in three places.  Only Mother Nature could do that! 

[ilikeanswers]

On 1/5/2024 at 7:41 AM, MMDown Under said:

Does anyone remember those glass "things", where the flies can get in, but not get out?.  I thought they were revolting, sitting on the kitchen table, but I'd love one now.  

 

For small flies we would use to get take away containers punch little holes into the lid and fill the container with a mixture of vinegar and water. Hated emptying that thing out🤢. 

[Kristelle]

17 hours ago, Mareblu said:

Actually, latest research reveals the dominant attraction factor is blood type.

 

 

Ive heard that too.

 

Mozzies love me and I am covered in bites if I forget to use Aerogard outside

 

Blood type A +ve.

[Jean C]

22 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

For outside, we have aeroguard and or bushman's, anyhow have a good weekend.

I bought some Bushmans for a South America cruise when Zika virus was doing its rounds. I hated the stuff, it left an oily feel on my skin and stained white or off-white clothes - grrr! I got rid of stains with bleach, affected areas turned a fluorescent yellow before disappearing completely. I won't give the stuff house room now 🥴

[Jean C]

4 minutes ago, Kristelle said:

 

 

Ive heard that too.

 

Mozzies love me and I am covered in bites if I forget to use Aerogard outside

 

Blood type A +ve.

They love me too - O+  😪

[Mareblu]

28 minutes ago, Jean C said:

They love me too - O+  😪

Jean, I’m also O+, and if there are any tiny flying insects around, they choose me.  Every few years (7 on average apparently, but more frequently during any series of wet summers like now) Canberra is visited by Midges, particularly near water.  We’re not far from the lake, so they love our garden.  Unlike mozzies, they can even enter through screens, which we have on every window and door except our front door.  Two years ago, they drove me crazy, while completely ignoring Mario.  He’s a B blood type, can’t remember which specifically atm, but when I researched this topic, I found that Os are targeted, while Bs are generally ignored if there’s an O around.

[ceeceeDee]

There was/is a standing joke in our family. 'You're having a bbq? Do you mind if we bring Ma (MIL)? She keeps the mozzies at bay'. Honestly, mozzies just loved her so the best mozzie free zone was right beside my sweet (in more ways than one apparently) late mother in law.

[yes!yes!yes!]

my mum got bitten on the grand princess last week while going thru the fjords and also in port Chalmers.

I'm a mozzie magnet, I stayed inside